


I Saw Daddy Kissing Santa Claus

by AsagiStilinski



Series: Zine Promos [14]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Character's Name Spelled as Viktor, Character's Name Spelled as Yuri, Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Cute Kids, Fluff, Kid Fic, M/M, Mall Santa Claus, Meet-Cute, Parent Victor Nikiforov, Single Parent Victor Nikiforov, Single Parents, Victor Nikiforov Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2020-11-30
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:22:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27792226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AsagiStilinski/pseuds/AsagiStilinski
Summary: Yuri never should have taken the job as a mall Santa, but now that he's here, he wants to be good at what he does, but... how does someone respond when what a kid wants for Christmas is for her dad to no longer be lonely?
Relationships: Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov
Series: Zine Promos [14]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1551694
Comments: 9
Kudos: 191





	I Saw Daddy Kissing Santa Claus

**Author's Note:**

> Yet another promo fic for Holidays!!! On Ice, the YOI holiday zine! https://yoiholidayzine.tumblr.com/

Yuri didn't know why he ever volunteered for this

Why did he think that just because Phichit signed up to be an elf, he should sign up to be one too?

Or, much worse and to the point, that just because the mall Santa bailed and the suit just so happened to be in his size, that somehow meant that he should volunteered to take his place

Damn his constant need to please...

"Remember Yuri, _energy_!"

Taking a long, deep breath, Yuri faked a smile to the best of his abilities and gave the deepest _"Ho ho ho!"_ he could manage, hating himself the entire time

The first several kids were all fairly simple to deal with, none paying any mind to his nervousness and requesting dolls, video games, and even an iPad at one point, much to the dismay of the boy's mother

Overall it wasn't bad actually, and Yuri even found himself starting to relax, in fact, by lunch he was almost comfortable

But that was destined to be short lived

The last kid in line before he was scheduled to go on lunch break was a cute little girl, maybe around the age of six, who was clinging to a stuffed poodle with one arm and tightly wrapped around the arm of who Yuri assumed to be her father with the other

He was a relatively young man, atleast compared to most of the other fathers there, though he was too old to likely be an older brother

"It's your turn Aria, go on," the young, silver-haired man encouraged, wich seemed to be all the little girl needed to let go of his arm and make the "long" journey up to see Yuri, receiving a hardy _"Ho ho ho!"_ as she approached and climbed, with some help, onto his lap

"Hello Aria, how are you doing today?"

Just as Yuri had hoped, she lit up with joy the moment he said her name, being much too young to have peiced together that Yuri had merely overheard her name from her father a moment before

"You know my name...? You really ARE Santa!!!"

"That's right, and what would you like for Christmas?"

"A Batwoman doll! Not Bat _girl_ , I mean Batgirl is nice but I already have her and Batwoman is gay like my daddy so I like her better anyway!"

Yuri watched in restrained amusement as the man who most certainly was her father turned bright red and muttered a groaned _"Aria..."_ before covering his face with his hands

Aria had been fairly loud, so for what it was worth, Yuri felt for the poor guy

"Santa? Can I tell you what I _really_ want for Christmas?" she wispered

"Oh.... ofcourse," Yuri replied slowly, more than a little surprised by the question

Aria leaned up, cupping her hand over Yuri's ear and wispering

"I don't want my daddy to be lonely anymore,"

Oh... that... Yuri wasn't sure how to respond to that....

Sure, he knew that sometimes kids asked for things like a military parent to come home or for a sick relative to get better, he had been silently preparing for that all day, but he hadn't considered _this_...

"He gets so sad sometimes, and I don't want him to be sad, so... can you get him another Daddy to be freinds with? Or to fall in love with? Please?"

"Um..... I'll try,"

Because really, what else could he possibly say?

"Really!? Oh thank you Santa!!"

That cry of glee was followed by a tight hug around Yuri's neck before she jumped down and sprinted back to her father

Yuri waved, but sighed sadly beneath his fake beard

He felt terrible for making her a promise, but what else was he supposed to? How else could he have responded?

Once Aria and her father were out of sight, Yuri rose up and stretched, initially planning to head off to lunch, but before he could, his eyes landed on the stuffed poodle Aria had been holding... wich was now stuffed in the corner of his chair...

Panicking, Yuri hurried to scoop up the toy and rush through the mall, not slowing down to answer Phichit's calls of concern

He made his way around the corner, and much to his releif, caught sight of Aria and her father making their way towards the toy store

"Aria!! Wait!!"

Turning around, Aria beamed at Yuri, and when she saw the poodle he was carrying-

"Agape!!!"

Had she.... really named her toy dog _Agape_...? Wasn't that word a little too high up on the vocabulary list for someone so young?

He couldn't ponder that for long though, as Aria's father was in front of him a second later

"Oh my god, thank you so much for finding her, we didn't even realize she was missing yet, but if we'd gotten home and didn't have her..."

"I... really didn't do anything... I mean it was in my chair so...."

"Trust me, you did _plenty_ ," the stranger smiled, warmth in his eyes

"Thank you Santa!!" Aria exclaimed, slamming into Yuri's leg and hugging him tightly

Yuri smiled back, shy and uncertain, before leaning down and gently returning the hug

But no child's attention ever lasted long, and before he could say anything Aria had let go and hurried back to the entrance of the store

"Can I go look at the toy pigs now Daddy?"

"Sure Sweetheart, go right ahead, just stay where I can see you,"

"Ok!"

As soon as she was off, the stranger turned back to Yuri again, the same expression of warmth on his face

"Really, thank you, you didn't have to come all the way here,"

"It's really no problem, why wouldn't I?"

The other man gave a half-hearted shrug that, loosely translated, probably meant _"People"_

Yuri perfectly understood

"I'm glad you caught up with us though actually, I... wanted to ask you, what did Aria wisper to you earlier? I want to give her everything I can, within reason, and I want her to believe in Santa for as long as possible, so if she asked you for something secretly I'd like to get it for her if I can,"

"I'm... not so sure it's something you can get for her," Yuri explained slowly, rubbing the back of his neck

"Hm? Why do you say that?"

For a breif moment, Yuri considered that perhaps he should lie, but...

"Well... she... asked if I could prevent you from being lonely..."

For a breif moment, the man looked surprised, before his expression melted into resignation

"Right.... I see...." he said softly

"I'm sorry that she brought that up to you, I'm sure it put you in an awkward position,"

"O-Oh please don't worry about it, really, it's fine, she's fine, you don't need to apologize,"

"I feel that I should, to you _and_ to her, no six-year-old should be worried about their parent being lonely, I do my best to keep that to myself but I suppose I slip more often than I realize,"

He paused, running his fingers through his short silver hair and glancing over his shoulder, watching his daughter through the store window as she crouched down in front of a pin of fuzzy robotic piglets

"I feel awfull, I can't get her either of the things she wants for Christmas, I can't fix my loneliness and I can't even get her a Batwoman doll, they don't make them... trust me, I've already checked,"

Yuri's expression fell even more, taking a step closer and reaching out to gently place his hand on the stranger's arm

"I'm sorry, I... can't help with both problems but... maybe I could help with one?"

"Really?" the young father breathed, his eyes widening, stepping a bit closer and gently laying his hand over Yuri's

"Is.. this your way of asking me out on a date, Santa?" he asked softly

Instantly, Yuri's face turned a bright crimson red, forcing him to vaguely think back to that old adage about Santa's rosy red cheeks and bowl full of jelly

Yuri may have managed to drop a little weight over the summer but regretfully he still thought that description fit a little too well...

"N-N-N-N-No!!" he squeaked, voice having pitched atleast two octaves higher now

"I-I-I modify dolls as a hobby! I-I mean I-.. I sell them-... I... I could make your daughter a Batwoman doll, that's what I meant," he explained quickly, pulling his hand back and fidgeting anxiously

"Um, I can show you on your phone? I-I um... I mean I-... I turned a Monster High doll into a Harley Quinn doll a few months ago for someone s-s-so it... sh-shouldn't be hard...."

Slowly, the realization started to set in, and Yuri watched the other man's face turn to profound disappointment, followed by a flash of panic

"Oh my.... I'm so sorry for coming onto you like that, I just thought-.... I'm so sorry, I hope I didn't make you uncomfortable," he hurried out

"N-No you didn't, it's fine, I just-..."

Wait a minute.... the pretty man in front of Yuri actually seemed _disappointed_ that Yuri hadn't been fishing for a date....

.....What kind of Twilight Zone.....?

"How much will it be? For the doll, I mean, I can pay up front,"

"N-No please don't, I mean, I don't know yet, that depends alot on what specific doll I use and how much the other costs end up being, I don't even know what I'll make the suit out of yet or if I'll need to reroot the hair and how much I'll have to change the face-up.."

For a moment, things were quiet, and Yuri realized he had probably revealed far too much of his geekier side to this total stranger

"Um-"

"Wow," he said suddenly, face flickering into a light, impressed smile

"I thought you would just make her a little costume for a Barbie or something, you sound so professional though, do you really just do this as a hobby?"

"Um.... yeah... I-I mean I do sell them but it's... it's a small market, I'm trying to be a professional crafter but it's really not easy..."

"I imagine not, but you clearly put so much work into all of this, and it sounds like you really know what you're doing too, how long have you been at it?"

"Um, only a few years... my freind in Japan was really into ball-joint dolls so I picked up alot from her and.... well... now it's something I do alot,"

"That's so cool," the other man beamed

"I never got much into dolls, but Aria just loves them, I'd love to learn more about all of this sometime too, but um.... shall we exchange information then? For the Batwoman doll? Thank you so much, by the way, for offering, whatever it costs please just let me know, sky's the limit for the rush job,"

"I'm not going to gouge you, really, you're... practically paying me to do something I enjoy anyway so-"

"Don't tell me you'll only charge for materials, your efforts deserve much more than that, and if you try to go easy on me then I'll just have to add a big tip," the other man winked, pulling the mini backpack he was wearing off and using the opportunity to check on Aria over his shoulder

By now she had claimed one of the little black pigs as her own and was admiring some sort of playset

If Yuri squinted behind his damn non-prescription Santa glasses, he could faintly make out that it looked like an ice skating rink...

"I assume you don't have your phone?"

Attention pulled back to the girl's father, Yuri shook his head

"It's in a locker,"

"Ah, thought so, well it's a good thing then that I always am prepared," the other man hummed, unzipping his poodle shaped mini backpack and pulling out a pen and pad of papper... also with poodles on them

...Somehow Yuri had a feeling he knew where Aria's own love of poodles came from

"Do you like it?" the stranger grinned, slinging his bag over one shoulder as he started to scribble down his information

"Yeah I do, I have a Toy Poodle so I'm always-"

"Do you really!?" the stranger beamed suddenly, catching Yuri by surprise

"I have a Standard! Aren't they they best!?"

"The greatest," Yuri smiled back warmly, amused by the other man's excitement

"I should show you pictures of my Makkachin, unless-... I'm not holding you up am I? I mean I know you're working but.."

"No no, I'm on break,"

That seemingly settled, the other man pulled off the page he was scribbling on and handed it to Yuri, followed by the pen and notepad

_Viktor Nikiforov_ was scrawled beautifully across the fluffy curls of the poodle on the page, followed by a phone number and email address

"Your name is Viktor? That's funny, my dog's name is Victor too, well.. Vicchan, but he was named after Victor from Corpse Bride,"

"Really!? What a funny coincidence, I love that movie too," Viktor hummed, already scrolling through his phone, presumably in search of doggy photos

"Yeah... coincidence..."

Except that Yuri didn't really believe in coincidences, and he couldn't stop thinking about how sad Viktor had looked when he said that he wasn't asking for a date.....

"Ah! Here we go!" he grinned, shuffling closer to show off a family photo from Halloween, featuring Aria as Batgirl- Yuri guessed a children's Batwoman costume was unavailable, if any Batwoman costumes were to begin with- Viktor as Batman, and a large grey poodle as Robin

It was the cutest thing he had ever seen and he couldn't stop himself from "awww"ing, much to Viktor's delight

"Here, let me show you one where you can see Makka's face better,"

Had he really spent all that time scrolling to get to pictures from barely over a month ago though? Yuri could tell that Aria was the same age, kids sprouted up fast after all...

He must have a ton of them, wich wasn't exactly a surprise, he seemed like one of _Those_ parents who's entire world revolved around their kid, he noticed it in the way that Viktor kept obsessively checking over his shoulder to make sure Aria hadn't moved, in the ease of wich he had agreed to spending what- for all he knew- was an exorbitant amount of money for a custom doll, in the pride that washed over his face whenever his daughter came up...

Yuri was fully willing to bet Viktor's wallet was stuffed to the brim with printed photos, a habit that had fallen out of style in the digital age but that still seemed to persist with some parents who insisted on no less than a dozen wallet sized photos from Phichit of their little ones with Santa, who slipped an extra candy cane out of the bowl when they thought no one was looking and handed both to their child, who encouraged _whatever_ their child asked for- even if it was gender non-conforming or considered to be below their age group or was just another hyped up fad that would fade into the background of retail once Christmas season ended...

Yuri loved those parents, they reminded him of his own, but that didn't mean that they didn't get lonely, if they were alone...

"Santa?"

Jolting, Yuri blinked back up at Viktor, at the look of concern on his face, and forced himself to smile as he finished writing down his own information

"Sorry, I zoned out,"

"It's ok, you've probably had hell all day, I _adore_ kids, but I can't imagine dealing with nothing but tired, cranky children begging for toys and their backseat-driving parents demanding your attention day and day out for weeks on end, you're a hero,"

"Sure I am, Detroit's resident Superman," Yuri scoffed back dryly, earning a charming laugh from Viktor

"You might as well be, I should get you a Kryptonian crest to wear on your sleeve- honorary Super," he teased

Yuri found himself laughing, shaking his head, and perhaps most of all, noticing just how easy conversation flowed with Viktor, just how much he enjoyed talking to him, it was so.... _nice_ , and Yuri couldn't remember ever talking to anyone as easily as he talked to Viktor, besides Phichit...

He reflected back to how sad Viktor had looked when he said he wasn't offering a date, and before he could stop himself-

"Viktor?" he asked suddenly, tearing off a page from the poodle pad and handing it to the other man

"Um, if I.... _had_ asked for a date earlier... what would you have said?"

Viktor was caught off guard for only a moment, before his features warmed into happiness, taking the note and sliding it securely into his Supergirl wallet

Yuri was starting to see where Aria got her love of superheros too

"I would have said yes, ofcourse,"

"Really? ..But... you don't even know me... you don't even know my name or what I look like,"

"Your name is Yuri, I just read it," he pointed out, stepping closer and gently reaching out, tugging Yuri's beard down and pulling his fake glasses off

"And now I know what you look like too, you're just as cute as I thought you would be,"

Oh good, Yuri's heart was in his throat now and he was likely never going to be able to swallow it

"B-B-But... you didn't-... I mean-..."

"You're sweet," Viktor explained, carefully fixing Yuri's costume

"You chased after us to return a toy, I don't think you understand how few people would have done that, you've spent all this time talking to me and clearly care about Aria's feelings- and mine- or else you would have been far more callous when I asked what Aria asked you, maybe I'm cynical but people so nice... I don't meet them very often,"

Yes...

Viktor would have said yes....

Yuri usually never would have done anything so impulsive, but with Viktor....

He found himself strangely gaining little bursts of confidence

He just hoped that confidence wouldn't end up causing him pain in the end

"Then... would you like to go out with me?" he blurted out, biting his lip

Viktor's reaction was instantaneous, his eyes growing wide, lips curving up into a heart-shaped smile, he nearly looked like a kid on Christmas morning

"I would love to,"

Taking Yuri's hand, he gave it a light squeeze, stepping closer

"Friday night, Aria's got a playdate with the neighbor, is six ok?"

"Six is perfect,"

"And do you know Crispino's on Fox Street?"

"I do actually,"

"Then... shall we meet there?"

"Crispino's at six on Friday," Yuri confirmed with a nod

"Perfect," Viktor breathed, leaning in a bit closer

"I'll see you then, Yuri,"

Yuri's entire face heated up as Viktor pressed a kiss to his cheek, before the other man turned around and froze

It only took peering over his shoulder to figure out why

Aria was staring at them through the toy store window, looking like Christmas had come early

"Ahh... Santa? Any ideas for explaining this...?"

"...Not... at the moment.... I'll have a story ready by Friday,"

"You really are the resident Superman, aren't you?" Viktor chuckled

"No," Yuri smiled back

"Just the resident Santa Claus,"


End file.
